Bureau West

As we’ve mentioned in the past, when companies say they want to conduct “website usability testing,” they usually want to know about more than just usability.  They also want answers to questions such as what users think of the site and what would motivate them to use the site versus other options.  That’s why we typically include a qualitative interview along with our usability sessions.  But in some cases, clients want to focus on usability issues and gain a deep understanding of how users move through their website.  In these cases, we recommend conducting quantitative remote usability testing.

With remote usability testing, several hundred respondents interact with websites from their own homes or offices, and we record all their clicks and their paths through the sites.  We can also ask them questions about their experiences (both typical survey questions and open-ended questions).  Now in the old days (and by “the old days,” I mean 1999!), this required that respondents download special software.  But nowadays, it’s possible to record respondents browsing any website without downloading software and without any programming on the website.  That means that companies can even learn how users interact with their competitors’ websites!

Costs have come down, too.  Usually, a remote usability study with 200 respondents can be conducted for about the same cost as an in-person study with 15 respondents.  This provides a large enough sample to enable us to analyze the behavior of different segments, or what we call “personas” – that is,  different groups with distinct ways of interacting with a given website.

To discuss the best way to conduct research to make your website more effective, give us a call at (818) 752-7210.

There is a common belief that consumers hate advertising.  But in focus groups and interviews we conduct with consumers, we find that is not the case.  Rather, they hate ads that aren’t relevant to them, especially when they’re exposed to them with great frequency.  Consumers are remarkably open to advertising that speaks to them, ads they consider to be appropriate and timely.

But how can companies deliver that type of targeted advertising?  By effectively segmenting their target market.  And nowadays, that’s easier than it used to be.  Companies can utilize a combination of research with prospects along with data about customer behavior on company websites to define accurate market segments.

An article in Fast Company magazine explains how retailer Barneys delved deeply into the behavior of the people browsing their website and discovered patterns which led them to customer segments (for example, “fashionistas” who buy risky new designer products and “bottom feeders” who always buy sale items).  This has enabled them to achieve a tenfold increase in response rates to their email advertising.

Give us a call at Bureau West (tel: 818-752-7210) and we can discuss the best way to integrate your website data with customer research to define segments for your target audience.

Sources:  Bureau West research;  Fast Company, May, 2008

In his best-seller “The Tipping Point,” Malcolm Gladwell talks about a popular theory among marketers: that there are certain rare, highly-connected people (also known as “influentials” or “tastemakers”) who have a disproportionate influence over what becomes popular.  If your marketing can effectively target these people, they will trigger a trend and you will be wildly successful.

But in an article in this month’s Fast Company magazine, network-theory scientist Duncan Watts says this theory is wrong–and he has some rather persuasive evidence to support his position.  He conducted numerous social experiments and found that trends are far more likely to be started by an “average” person than by one of the rare, highly-connected people.  “If society is ready to embrace a trend, almost anyone can start one–and if it isn’t, then almost no one can,” Watts concludes. To succeed with a new product, it’s less a matter of finding the perfect hipster to “infect” and more a matter of gauging the public’s mood. Sure, there will always be a first mover in a trend. But since she generally stumbles into that role by chance, she is, in Watts’s terminology, an “accidental Influential.”  We have also seen this in our research: someone who is influential in one area may not be influential in another. 

What does this mean for marketers?  Get a feel for what’s going on in your prospects’ lives–and not just the hip prospects.  And consider what types of people are influential for your product and service and why they influence others.  At Bureau West Marketing & Research, we like to conduct focus groups that mix advocates of a brand with those who are undecided.  We ask the advocates to try to persuade the non-customers and listen closely to the discussion–both the persuasion points and the objections.  This type of research reveals characteristics of a brand’s “evangelists” and also provides insights into creating the most effective marketing strategy.

We can design research to uncover which ideas will resonate with your prospects.  Call Bureau West at (818) 752-7210. 

Sources:  Fast Company, February, 2008; Bureau West research

Virtually all companies want to make their websites as effective as possible.  We’re frequently hired to conduct research to learn how customers and prospects interact with a website, whether they understand it, and how easy it is for them to do what the company hopes they will do (make a purchase, ask for information, etc.).

We typically conduct one-on-one observation and interview sessions, where we observe users interact with a website and then discuss the website with them.  We sometimes even conduct focus groups where the site is projected on a large screen and we discuss it as a group (this works well when the overall concept of the site needs to be explored).

But we have another method in our arsenal which can uncover valuable insights: eye tracking.  With eye tracking, research participants wear a lightweight device that looks like a large pair of glasses.  The device records exactly where they look on the page, in what order, and for how long.  When the results are aggregated, we obtain a clear picture of which elements of a website capture respondents’ attention and which don’t.

The research incorporates both eye tracking and an interview, so we learn not only what captures respondents’ attention, but why it captures their attention.

The technology for eye tracking is less expensive than it used to be.  And since respondents tend to be rather consistent, it’s not necessary to conduct this research with a large sample.  For example, a typical project, including sessions with 12 respondents over the course of two days can cost in the vicinity of $30,000 and provide rich input to lead to a vastly improved (and more profitable) website.

To discuss ways to learn how to make your website more effective, call Bureau West at (818) 752-7210.  In addition to website effectiveness research, we conduct focus groups, online focus groups and one-on-one interviews.  We encourage clients to call us early when considering research, so we can provide advice on the best methodology to achieve the research objectives.